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Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary des·o·late
ETYMOLOGY Middle English desolat, from Latin desolatus, past participle of desolare to abandon, from de- + solus alone DATE 14th century 1. devoid of inhabitants and visitors : deserted 2. joyless, disconsolate, and sorrowful through or as if through separation from a loved one a desolate widow 3. a. showing the effects of abandonment and neglect : dilapidated a desolate old house b. barren , lifeless a desolate landscape c. devoid of warmth, comfort, or hope : gloomy desolate memories Synonyms: see alone , dismal • des·o·late·ly adverb • des·o·late·ness noun
(-lat·ed ; -lat·ing) DATE 14th century : to make desolate: a. to deprive of inhabitants b. to lay waste c. forsake d. to make wretched English Etymology desolate late 14c., "without companions," also "uninhabited," from L.desolatus, pp. of desolare "leave alone, desert," from de-"completely" + solare "make lonely." Sense of "joyless" is 15c. Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary-牛津双解-OALD7 desolate deso·late adjective/ 5desElEt / 1. (of a place 地方) empty and without people, making you feel sad or frightened 无人居住的；荒无人烟的；荒凉的: a bleak and desolate landscape 一片荒凉的景色 2. very lonely and unhappy 孤独凄凉的；不幸的；忧伤的 SYN forlorn verb/ 5desEleit /
[VN] [usually passive] (literary) to make sb feel sad and without hope 使感到悲惨；使感到凄凉；使悲伤绝望: She had been desolated by the death of her friend. 朋友的去世使她感到十分悲伤。 Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of English desolate adj. 1 empty and depressing VERBS be, seem, stand The house stands desolate and empty. | become | leave sth The land was left desolate. ADV. completely, quite The landscape was quite desolate. | rather a rather desolate place 2 very unhappy VERBS be, feel, look, sound He looked as desolate as Ruth felt. | become ADV. quite, utterly She was utterly desolate after losing her baby. | a little Her voice sounded a little desolate. OLT desolate adj. ⇨ bare (wild and desolate terrain)⇨ lonely (She felt utterly desolate.) Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged des·o·late I. \ˈdes]ələ̇t also -ez ] sometimes ]lə̇t; usu -ə̇d.+V\ adjective Etymology: Middle English desolat, from Latin desolatus, past participle of desolare to abandon, desert, from de from, away + -solare (from solus alone) — more at de- , sole 1. : devoid of inhabitants and visitors : deserted , abandoned < a desolate ghost town > 2. obsolete a. : destitute b. : lacking goodness : dissolute 3. a. : bereaved, forsaken, or abandoned especially of or by one very dear and consequently inconsolable and crushed by grief < this lady leaning at her window desolate, pouring out her abandoned heart — George Meredith > b. : joyless, disconsolate, and sorrowful through or as if through some separation, destitution, or grief < depressed and desolate of soul … and filled with anxious fear — William Wordsworth > c. : expressing or arising from such grief or sorrow < a low desolate wail which made the terrible scream seem only the quick expression of an endless grief — Bram Stoker > 4. a. : showing the effects of abandonment and neglect : ruined, dilapidated < a desolate old house with sagging floors and broken shutters > b. : devoid of anything suggesting or furthering life : lifeless , barren , stark < passing through a desolate once-wooded area that had been ravaged by fire > < desolate with crags and alkali — American Guide Series: California > < the empty, desolate, endless waste — O.E.Rölvaag > c. : devoid of anything cheering, comforting, or suggesting warmth, comfort, pleasant human relations, or hope : disheartening , cheerless < the stormy howling of the wind in that avenue of great trees at night was wild and desolate — Thomas Wolfe > < a desolate memory of the sterile idle life I had lived — Edmund Wilson > < this wild, desolate lake … a very picture of unbroken solitude — John Burroughs > Synonyms: see alone , dismal II. \]əˌlāt, usu -ād.+V\ transitive verb (-ed/-ing/-s) Etymology: Middle English desolaten, from Latin desolatus deserted, past participle of desolare to abandon, desert : to make desolate: a. : to deprive partially or wholly of inhabitants : depopulate < the mines never again operated, and three townships in the vicinity were desolated — American Guide Series: Vermont > b. : to lay waste : ravage < Hitler desolated British cities with bombs — F.L.Allen > also : to leave in a ruinous or barren state < boulders left by mining operations desolate the valley > c. : to forsake or leave alone — used in the past participial form < the bulletin board listing casualties was haunted by desolated wives > d. : to rob of joy and contentment; especially : to leave grief-stricken and wretched < so obsessed with gambling that they ruin their own lives, desolate their families, and alienate their friends — C.B.Davis > |
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